For Memorial Day weekend Justin and I decided we would take the kids to Orlando for the weekend as an end of the school year surprise. We told the kids we would be going to Wet 'n' Wild and Islands of Adventure the Monday before we went and for the rest of the week it was all we heard about.
So...
On Friday afternoon I took Fenway to the Bloxham Cutoff Boarding Kennel in Crawfordville. It was a bit of a drive just to board the dog but they are cheap and wonderful. She got lots of play time with other dogs while we were gone. It was our first time using them and I'm sure we will use them many more times in the future. If you have a dog I suggest you check them out. http://bloxhamboardingkennel.com/
After dropping her off we got on the road headed down to Orlando. We borrowed my friends portable DVD players so the kids were well entertained for the four hour drive. Despite the fact they were up past midnight they still popped out of bed at 7:00a.m. Saturday morning. They could not contain their excitement. After a quick breakfast at our hotel we headed to Wet 'n' Wild.
When we first decided on Wet 'n' Wild we were a bit apprehensive because Seth still has a fear of water at times. He assured us he would go on the rides and have fun so we decided to go. The first ride McKayla decided on was Bubba Tub. It looks a little scary but Seth said he was willing to go. About half way up the stairs he changed his mind and was too scared. Justin took him down and we were worried that the day would be spent trying to convince Seth to go on a ride. From there we headed to the wave pool and he LOVED that. After that he went on almost every ride we wanted to go on. He still got scared at times but he tried most of the big rides and loved them. There was even one he went on 3 times. He is a completely different child now when it comes to the water and his fear is slowly diminishing. We took lots of pictures with one of those disposable water cameras but I haven't picked them up from CVS yet.
On Saturday afternoon Nana (my mom) came up from Port St. Lucie to spend the night with us. We went to downtown disney and went in all the shops and had dinner. As usual Nana spoiled everyone. The kids somehow managed to stay up pretty late again which was fine by me because the next morning they slept until 8:00. That almost never happens at our house.
Sunday was the big day! We were headed to Islands of Adventure and the kids were most excited about seeing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As soon as we entered the park we headed straight there and so did everyone else. The first thing we got in line for was to watch the wand selection at Ollivander's.
In line for the "Wand Experience".
Showing off their wands!
From their we headed to the Hippogriff ride and then to the ride in the Hogwart's Castle. As a huge fan of the books and movies I must say they did an incredible job recreating Harry Potter's world. For those of you that are fans you will love these next few pictures.
Our view from the "flight of the hippogriff".
In the castle
In the herbology class.
Gryffindor is in the lead!
The opening to Dumbledore's office.
Nearly all the pictures talked and moved.
After the Wizarding World of Harry Potter we ventured off into the rest of the park...
Waiting in line for a ride.
Playing in the fountains!
One of the Dr. Seuss rides.
Waiting in line for the Jurrasic Park water ride.
Best Buds!
Waiting in line with Nana for Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barge.
We all got soaking wet but the kids especially loved watching Nana get wet.
Justin feeding Seth to a T-Rex. McKayla was truly terrified of the dinosaurs.
Caro-Seuss-El.
I must say the kids truly impressed me. They waited patiently in every line we were in with minimal complaining. Seth was a true big kid and went on every ride he could for his height. We were at the park from 10:00a.m. to 8:00p.m. and they were still running and jumping as we left. I must admit I was a bit nervous while we were planning the trip. I was worried that the whole thing could turn out miserable but it turned out better than I ever could have imagined.
After a visit to the HUGE McDonald's near our hotel and some outlet shopping we headed back to Tallahassee Monday with plenty of spells flying around the car. Justin had never been to Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure so we got 3 day passes. We will be headed back next week to ride all of the rollercoasters we missed and to go to Universal Studios. Can't Wait!
If you've made it this far in this super long post please make note that the webpage address has changed. Our blog page address is now http://www.foreversagiven.blogspot.com/
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